Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 467: Overcoming Difficulties Together
There is no rain in spring, the distant mountains are like black clouds, a white cloud is slowly moving, wind chimes are hung on the ancient trees at the entrance of the valley, and only sparse bells ring occasionally.

The fishing boats on the lake are moored quietly, the firewood behind them is empty, and occasionally the cries of children can be heard.

This is a village near the lake in Wangchuan Villa. Wang Wei's house is on the mountainside behind the village. It is said that "at the foot of the north mountain in the south, the building is close to the lake." However, although he is rich in this landscape, he lives in the middle of the mountain. But it was empty, with nothing but a tea table, a sutra table, and a rope bed.

Since the death of his wife, he has not continued to take concubines, eats fasting, chants Buddha's name, and lives like a Zen monk. In addition, his mother passed away three years ago, and he has been mourning here. After the mourning period, An Lushan rebelled. He even occupied his Wangchuan villa and was recently confiscating the grain accumulated by the tenants.

That day, he was sitting in his living room meditating. Two bandit soldiers brought someone to see him. He looked up, was stunned for a moment, and said, "Pei Shi? Why are you here?"

Here comes his best friend, Pei Di.

The two thieves took a look inside the house and saw nothing. They pushed Pei Di and left, giving their old friends a chance to reminisce. Dayan still respects these famous poets.

"Why am I here? Of course I was captured." Pei Di entered, sat down cross-legged in front of Wang Wei, and said, "I have been living in seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain in recent years. A few days ago, for some reason, a band of thieves entered the mountain and occupied the view. Temple, captured me too.”

"I think we are going to launch troops with the officers and soldiers in the Qinling Mountains."

"I heard that Pei Qianyou went to Luoyang and returned to Tongguan." Pei Di said, "On the night of the Yuan Dynasty, An Qingxu held a banquet in Luoyang Palace for the traitors. He paid tribute to the musicians and wanted to imitate the saint's pear garden. He planned to bring you and me with him. Go to Luoyang. From now on, you can play the piano and compose songs, and I will play the flute to accompany you and perform for Hu Jie."

"Just call me Lao Liang. That's right. I came from Yongqiu and was ordered to support Chang'an. Of course, I don't come alone."

Pei Di held his hand and was about to continue speaking when a shout suddenly sounded in the distance.

"He is truly a layman of Mojie."

But in this early spring, there was only an ugly man hiding in the bushes behind the ginkgo tree, waiting for Wang Wei.

"Autumn locust leaves fall in the empty palace, and orchestral music plays on the head of the green pond."

Wang Wei then began to think deeply. After a while, he asked: "Are you literate?"

"I drugged the guards and came here quietly while they were having diarrhea." Wang Wei turned around and said, "I've seen you before. Are you from Xue Bai's side?"

The two people immediately went out and saw the rebels who were collecting food in the village seemed to have discovered something and rushed towards the mountains and forests to the south.

"Last night, someone crossed into Wangchuan River from the Yaoshan Mountain and wanted to see Alang. The little old man told him that if Alang was willing to see him, they would meet under the ginkgo tree planted by Alang tonight."

"Listen to me." Pei Di handed over a bottle of pills and whispered: "I know your intentions, so I brought this medicine here. After you take it, you will have dysentery symptoms. If you claim that you are sick, you will not serve Yan Thief. "

Wang Wei stopped stroking the rosary with his fingers, and suddenly made up his mind, saying: "It would be better to die!"

"I'm here, please come out."

Following these words with a strong Longyou accent, the ugly man came out of the bushes. He was very alert and asked, "How did you come out, sir?"

An old tenant took advantage of the guard not paying attention and quietly walked over to Wang Wei. In the end, he was bent over and trotting.

Wang Wei never wrote any love poems or mourning poems to her in his life. Only in that year did he personally plant a ginkgo tree on Nanshan Mountain. Twenty-four years have passed, and the ginkgo trees have grown to towering heights, with pavilions like canopies. In autumn, ginkgo leaves will fly all over the sky like colorful butterflies.

"Come in and talk."

"You actually know this poem?"

Wang Wei sighed, stood up, walked to the window and looked at the mountains in the distance, as if he wanted to see Chang'an on the other side of the mountains.

"I also like poetry." Lao Liang grinned.

"It's okay for you to live in seclusion and hide from the world, but I'm different. I'm deeply favored by you. If you betray a thief and tarnish your loyalty, how can I have any face in this world?"

Lao Liang turned around and pointed to the outline of the mountain on the south side, where a bright moon could be seen hanging on the mountain. He continued: "Since we are supporting, we have our own troops, horses, baggage, food and grass, but we can't climb over the mountain like me. "

Wang Wei closed his eyes sadly and shook his head.

"Pei Shi, what did you say would happen after taking this medicine?"

"Mojie." Pei Di quickly stopped him and said, "You are a Buddhist, how can you kill?"

"Yes."

"knowledge."

At midnight, someone finally stepped on the dead branches on the ground and walked under the ginkgo tree. His figure was tall and thin, wearing a loose robe, like an old monk. He first stretched out his hand and gently touched the straight tree trunk, and then looked around.

"Young people know that there are no people in the empty mountain, but you can hear people's voices."

"I brought the map of Wangchuan." Wang Wei took out the blueprint from his sleeve, unfolded it under the moonlight, and pointed, "We are here, in the hills. To the south is the deep mountain where you came from."

He thought of the tragic situation in Guanzhong and imagined the scene of the rebels feasting in Luoyang City. He sighed and composed a poem.

Wang Wei had a thought in his mind and immediately guessed that the people coming were probably officers and soldiers.

"Being blocked outside the mountain?"

After hearing this, Pei Di felt dejected and said, "Chang'an is so close, but you and I are being captured and humiliated."

But how to see each other at night?

Lao Liang said: "I've explored it, and there's a river over there. The current is fast and the valleys on both sides are difficult to cross. If we walk along the river and go further and further west, I'm afraid we won't be able to reach Guanzhong."

"Thousands of households are sad and the wild smoke is growing. When will hundreds of officials turn to the sky again?"

He thought about it and his eyes fell on the bottle of medicine in his hand.

Wang Wei continued: "Although there are no soldiers in this area, the cliffs at the end of the hills are steep, so soldiers and horses cannot get through. You can lead people to the west, where there is a white stone beach."

"Alang, I have something to say."

"who?!"

~~
In the nineteenth year of Kaiyuan, Wang Wei's wife Cui passed away at the age of thirty-one.

Wang Wei smiled and shook his head and said: "At the end of Qin Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty made an agreement with Xiang Yu, whoever enters Guanzhong first will be king. Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty also took your path and was blocked at Yaoguan Pass. He followed Zhang Liang's plan and He planted flags all over Yaoshan and planted suspicious troops, and then 'circled Yaoguan, crossed Mount Jiang, attacked the Qin army, and defeated the south of Lantian'. Do you know where he came from? "

"Can I bypass the Pass?"

"When you arrive at Baishitan, don't walk along the river, but find a small stream that flows into the river. Up the mountain from the edge of the stream, there is a spring called 'Jinchiquan'. 'The water is not flowing, but the gold and green can be picked up.' You observe that Where does the spring water come from?”

"Where does the water come from?"

Wang Wei pointed back and said: "Jihu Lake."

"But there is a mountain..."

Wang Wei nodded and whispered: "The lake is connected to the Jinchi Spring. In other words, the water flows through the mountain and has its own natural cave."

Lao Liang was overjoyed. He took the map without any explanation, rolled it up and put it away. After thinking about it, he said, "In this case, horses, armor, food and grass still can't pass?"

"I don't know about soldiers, but what if you divide your army into one, attack the Pass around the back, and attack it from the front and the rear?"

"Okay." Lao Liang understood, immediately stood up, and asked, "Sir, will you come with me?"

Wang Wei shook his head and said: "If I leave, your plan will be exposed on the one hand, and my banker will be implicated on the other."

He looked deeply at Lao Liang, with bitterness on his face, and said: "My reputation and integrity are all entrusted to the general."

"Don't worry, sir, he is a man who has made great contributions to suppressing the rebellion!" Lao Liang thumped his chest, making a thumping sound.

~~
Changan.

A few days after the Shangyuan Festival, the food and grass in the city became increasingly scarce, and the rebels' offensive against the city became stronger and stronger.

The reason why Li Longji escaped from Chang'an at that time was that he expected this situation. Xue Bai was not smarter than him, but he had more courage to face difficulties.

"There is no food in the official warehouse. I guess there must be no food in the noble and noble family?"

That day, Yanying Palace was discussing matters. Seeing that others did not mention it, Xue Bai took the lead in raising the issue.

In this critical situation, no one stood up and explicitly opposed this matter, and tacitly allowed Xue Bai to send the imperial army to collect food from each family.

Li Cong still completely trusted him.

On the contrary, when leaving the Daming Palace, Yan Zhenqing reminded Xue Bai a few words and said slowly: "I know that when you guarded the city in Changshan, Pingyuan, and Yongqiu, you also received food from big households, but Chang'an is different. There are more people with five surnames and seven "Hopefully, some families don't even pay attention to the Tian family. I have collected all the food in the city. If I touch the remaining people, there will be some trouble."

"I understand that my father-in-law is not speaking for them, but he is afraid that they will surrender the thieves or support Li Heng."

Xue Bai was a little hesitant. It was not that he had not made up his mind, but he was just thinking about whether he should express his feelings to Yan Zhenqing. Finally, he said: "And my response is simple. If you don't use thunderous means, you don't have the heart of a Bodhisattva."

Yan Zhenqing frowned as expected and said: "Most of the people who support the imperial court in guarding Chang'an are these people. Once you use the butcher's knife, what is the difference between you and the thieves? If you can't suppress it, let them take your and my heads." There is no harm in dedicating the city, but the Tang Dynasty may be destroyed."

"My father-in-law said the word 'the most supportive'. I don't quite agree with it. If a small family pays one stone of grain to defend the city, it may be all their wealth. If a wealthy family pays ten thousand stone, it may be just a drop in the bucket for them. Who is more supportive of defending the city? Can tell accurately.”

Xue Bai said, his tone became a little old-fashioned, and said: "Also, the problem must be solved after all. Looking at the Tang Dynasty before this rebellion, all the places in the family were from aristocratic families. What about the imperial examination? In fact, we all know that, Most of them are from aristocratic families, but only a few are from poor families every year. In the sixth year of Tianbao, the "Ye Wu Yi Xian" case broke out, and the five sons of Chunwei were in trouble. In the end, there were only six or seven children from poor families."

Yan Zhenqing naturally understood this and sighed: "I know what you are going to say. People with real talents and hard work can hardly express their ambitions. In the past, if they wanted to become officials in the court, they could also go to the frontier to perform meritorious service and become generals and prime ministers. In recent years, Brother The slave also blocked the last way to promotion, and the accumulation of resentment eventually led to a catastrophe. "

"My father-in-law also knows very well that it is not about An Lushan, but that the Tang Dynasty still leaves too few opportunities for the common people of poor families."

"Then what are you going to do? Can't you kill all the aristocratic families in Chang'an City? If you really want to do something, wait until the rebellion is suppressed and change the family status and the imperial examination."

Xue Bai was convinced, nodded and said: "But if I am still afraid of them under such circumstances today, how can I dare to take away their door shade in the future? Liquidate their fields and tenants?"

Yan Zhenqing didn't say anything else. He was originally on Xue Bai's side, but he was just afraid that he would get burned if he acted too hastily.

Since Xue Bai had made up his mind, he just took care of it for him.

As expected, things didn't go smoothly, and we encountered the first resistance that day.

~~
"Whose family?"

"Wang Hong, the east room of the Wang family in Taiyuan. Maybe you have never heard of this person. I will only talk about his three brothers. Wang Wei, you are very familiar with him, and he is kind to you..."

Xue Bai said: "You know, it is easy for famous families to be kind to others because they have this condition."

Du Jin smiled and said, "When you were buried alive, it was Wang Wei who brought you back to Chang'an."

"Let's talk about this matter. At that time, the old farmer who drove the donkey cart wanted to help me, but why did he just say that Mr. Mojie had a favor with me? Because he hired the carriage, and he came from a famous family. No matter how well he lived, Simplicity, he also owns a thousand acres of farmland in Wangchuan and more than twenty miles of mountains and rivers. "I know, we also have Luhun Villa."

"Yes, the country is in crisis, so I will donate it."

Du Mei said: "Wang Hong has donated 70% of the family's food reserves, leaving a year's worth of food for the whole family. I am not interceding on behalf of the Wang family, but I am afraid that people will say that you repay kindness with hatred."

"If each family takes out these stored grains, Chang'an can be defended for one more month. Even if the rebels cannot be repelled by then, the grain from Shu County will have arrived."

Having said that, Xue Bai actually thought about what to do if the situation did not change by then. What should I do if I encounter Zhang Xun's last desperate situation? Eat rats, eat tree bark, eat the leather on armor...and then, eat humans?
He had to fight very hard not to fall into that situation.

But now, if the big households are not allowed to take out the food, there will already be poor people in the city selling their sons and daughters.

"Wang Hong's other brother is called Wang Jin. You should also know him. He is now the military judge under Li Guangbi." Du Jin had to remind him, "You have to know that he has access to Li Guangbi's military supplies and supplies, and he can also It affects whether Li Guangbi goes to Chang'an to be King Qin or to go to Shuofang to support the new king. Are you sure you want to take away the last grain reserves of the Wang family at this time? "

Xue Bai smiled bitterly and said: "I have always known that this is difficult, so no one can do it, but I must be determined first."

"Okay, let me finish. Wang Hong also has an older brother named Wang Huang, who is appointed Shaoyin of Jiangling. Before regaining Henan, the grain and grass needed by Chang'an must be transferred to Shu County through Jiangling and then shipped."

"I know." Xue Bai said, "I will personally take people to collect the food."

"Okay." Although Du Jin reminded him, she did not interfere with his final decision.

Du Mei stepped forward and said softly: "Please persuade Wang Hong and ask him to hand over the food on his own initiative."

"Ah."

Xue Bai went out, thinking that maybe in Wang Hong's eyes, his behavior was robbery. But in fact, it was the unfairness of the tax system, official system, and almost all systems in the Tang Dynasty that gave these people the opportunity to exploit the people unconsciously, leading to war and even the country's almost destruction.

He believed that Wang Hong had never thought of robbing anyone, because he and Wang Wei were very good friends, and he knew what a pure and clean person he was. However, not wanting to plunder someone did not mean that his family was innocent.

If we continue to indulge them today, sooner or later someone will "tread all the bones of the noble ministers in the sky." It doesn't matter if they trample all the bones of the ministers, but pity the countless innocent people buried with them in the world. It is a pity that the entire family, country and world have been overthrown in the historical process.

……

"The Tang Dynasty was founded for more than a hundred years, creating an unprecedented prosperous age. The old system is no longer adaptable. This rebellion is a reminder that it is time for us to make changes. How about starting from today, starting with you and me?"

When Xue Bai saw Wang Hong, he persuaded him earnestly for a long time, and finally said this to comfort him.

"Xue Lang." Wang Hong sighed and said, "How about I take out another three hundred shi of grain? This is my salary for one year."

He is a very kind-faced man, in his forties, and his clothes are not flashy, but very decent. He had always had a friendly attitude towards Xue Bai, and added with a look of embarrassment.

"I haven't discussed this matter with Zhuo Jing yet. When she learns about it...well, Xue Lang will come."

Xue Bai bowed and said: "Brother Wang, please work with Chang'an City to overcome the difficulties."

"Am I not strong enough to overcome the difficulties together?"

"The enemy troops are pressing on the border, and the soldiers and civilians in the city have paid in the food reserves and distributed them centrally."

"What Xue Lang meant is to let the children in my family eat coarse cakes like ordinary people?"

"good."

Wang Hong was very surprised and couldn't help but said: "I am a direct descendant of the Wang family in Taiyuan. My ancestors have been around for thousands of years since King Ling of Zhou Dynasty. My wife was born in the Zheng family in Xingyang. When the sage chose a wife for King Rong, the Zheng family even refused. Ours But your children don’t even have food to eat?”

"In times of crisis, even the saints and His Highness eat the same food as ordinary people every day."

"So what?!" Wang Hong finally got angry and shouted: "If you don't give me my food, you still want to steal it?!"

"Boom."

With a sound, Xue Bai suddenly pulled out his saber.

He didn't try to persuade Wang Hong any more and simply ordered: "Get food!"

When Wang Hong saw the soldiers rushing into his house, his lips trembled with anger. He pointed at Xue Bai and said, "Let them stop! Otherwise, Xue Lang will regret it sooner or later..."

However, there was only one knife in front of him.

"Those who dare to obstruct will be killed without mercy."

~~
The reason why Xue Bai was the first to come to accept Wang Hong's food was simply to pick the soft persimmons first. Although Wang Hong had the arrogance of a wealthy family, he was well-educated and kind-hearted after all. In the end, when he saw Xue Bai letting people get food, he didn't dare to really pounce on him and fight for his life.

But that day, someone still died under Xue Bai's knife.

Moreover, this person's status and position were not low. He was Cui Xun, the brother-in-law of Yang Guifei, the husband of Lady Korea, the father-in-law of Prince Guangping, and the official secretary of the Imperial Secretariat.

Xue Bai chose the Cui family as his second choice to receive food, because he considered the Yang family to be one of his own, not to mention that he saved the lives of the three ladies of the Yang family during the Chencang Incident.

At that time, Cui Xun was not too implicated because he was the father-in-law of King Guangping and a member of the Boling Cui clan. He had a prominent family background and did not escape with the Korean lady. But after finding the saint, Cui Xun still chose to return to Chang'an, firstly to be loyal to the saint, and secondly to reunite with his wife.

They had a pretty good relationship with each other, and Xue Bai even asked Yang Yuyao to give him a heads up in advance. Unexpectedly, the talks broke down in the end.

At first, they discussed it with nice words. Cui Xun kept saying that this was not about food, but about rules. If he handed over the food, he would not be able to explain to his in-laws.

"If our food was so easy to get, Emperor Gaozong would have taken it decades ago when he went to Luoyang to eat."

"It's not about food now. The rebels are about to enter the city. Do you want food or your lives?"

"We want face!" Cui Xun suddenly shouted, "With my status, do I have to line up every day to wait for Qiu Ba to hand out biscuits?! Today I am asked to hand over food, but tomorrow I will be driven to the top of the city?!"

Xue Bai still drew his sword in his hand and ordered his soldiers to pay for their food.

Surprisingly, Cui Xun rushed forward. He did not stand up to protect his wife when the Forbidden Army mutinied. At this time, he actually stepped forward for food and pushed Xue Bai.

"Shuzi! Don't bully others too much!"

Xue Bai slashed him to the ground with his backhand.

He said, "Anyone who dares to obstruct will be killed without mercy." He cannot break his promise, no matter who the other party is. Otherwise, once people see a hint of weakness or hesitation in him, he will be in danger. Surrounded by tigers and wolves inside and outside the city, he must be ruthless and follow his words.

"puff."

Cui Xun didn't expect Xue Bai to be so merciless. He couldn't believe that he was about to die until he was lying in a pool of blood.

"You..." He pointed at Xue Bai and murmured: "You are trying to get along with Third Aunt, you will kill me..."

"Collect the grain!" Xue Bai urged without even looking at Cui Xun, with a cold face.

Over there, Yang Yuyao was going out with her sister. When she saw this scene, she covered her mouth in surprise.

"Alang!"

The Korean ladies and the family members of the mansion rushed forward, covering Cui Xun's wound that was bleeding continuously and crying.

"Why is this happening? Why is this happening?! Don't you just want food? Just give it."

"It's not food..." Cui Xun didn't close his eyes and murmured: "It's not..."

Since he could escape Chang'an, he didn't care about the food at home at all. What he cared about was not letting Xue Bai trample on his privileges.

He couldn't explain why he resisted this matter so much before, but when he was about to die, he suddenly figured it out. What he hated was Xue Bai's attitude, which was clearly aimed at famous families like them.

Why don't you wait until all the civilians in Chang'an City starve to death before requisitioning food? The situation has not yet reached the point of exchanging children for food, the horses have not been killed, and the bark and leather have not been chewed yet. Why is Xue Bai's first reaction to ask for food from these people? Xue Bai was prejudiced against them.

If you take one step back today, you will inevitably have to take a second step back tomorrow. Letting such a person who is hostile to the family take power is worse than letting the rebels attack Chang'an, and must be stopped.

The light in Cui Xun's mind became brighter and brighter... Finally, he passed away.

~~
By nightfall, the rebel offensive ended.

The corpses on the top of the city were dragged away, but the injured were still moaning.

Xue Bai, Wang Nannan, Jiang Hai and other generals received the military rations, sat on the ground, and casually chatted about defending the city.

Diao Wansui laughed loudly when he talked about receiving food today. When he talked about Xue Bai's killing of Cui Xun, he even clapped his hands and shouted: "Well done!"

At this time, Jiang Hai reminded in a low voice: "Lang Jun."

Xue Bai turned around and saw Yang Yuyao standing there looking at him. He got up and walked over.

"Let's go for a walk together?"

The two of them then walked south along the battlements. From time to time, they could see wounded soldiers with broken arms and legs, and servant soldiers with yellow faces and thin muscles.

Xue Bai would sometimes point to someone among them and tell some of their stories.

"That thin old man, everyone calls him Old Man Xiang, is actually only thirty years old. He looks old. A few days ago, the army rations were not enough, and each person could only receive one-third. He almost starved to death. When he was defending the city, he went straight to Cai Cai. Planted in the boiled gold juice. You know, there are people in the city who don't even have gold juice... They are guarding Chang'an with their lives, and I can't let them starve to death."

Yang Yuyao said: "I know."

Xue Bai said: "In the beginning, when we opened Fengwei Building, I said I would protect the Yang family. These words still stand today."

"I know, otherwise you wouldn't have risked your life to save me in Chencang."

"But there must be a run-in." Xue Bai said, "Your brother-in-law is the one who was lost in this process. I hope you understand."

After that, he raised his eyes to look outside the city and accidentally saw something. He raised his telescope and saw a horse galloping towards this side. When he was close to Chang'an, he raised a small flag from his arms.

The moonlight illuminated the logo looming on the flag, and Xue Bai's heart also fluctuated with it.

Because he recognized that it seemed to be Lao Liang's flag.

"Xue Bai."

"You go first." Xue Bai ignored Yang Yuyao for the time being and said, "I'll be busy before..."

Suddenly, Yang Yuyao hugged him and said, "I came here to say that Yuhuan wants to see you. Besides, I don't blame you, sister is remarrying."

(End of this chapter)